Petra Wells and Ciaran McConnell recently secured £140,000 damages for injuries and losses sustained as a result of a road traffic accident which occurred in January 2019. Damages were awarded following a contested quantum hearing which was listed before the High Court in Belfast in January 2024 for 4 days before being adjourned to May 2024. Judgment was handed down in February 2025.
The Plaintiff was driving his car through a junction when a vehicle driven by the Defendant collided with his car. The Plaintiff described the airbag being deployed, the car filling with smoke and the smell of diesel. He had considerable difficulty exiting the vehicle; he felt the vehicle was going to go on fire and felt that he was going to die. He was able to force himself out of the car to safety.
The Defendant admitted liability at an early stage. What followed was a protracted dispute as to the nature and extent of the Plaintiff’s injuries and losses. He had suffered relatively minor physical injuries which were not in dispute. Subsequent to the accident, the Plaintiff began to experience rapidly diminishing mental health, which was diagnosed as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in February 2020. It was the Plaintiff’s claim that he had developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of the incident. The Plaintiff formerly served in a full time capacity as police officer and in a part time capacity as a soldier during ‘The Troubles’, and after service subsequently in both the public and private sectors. He had not worked in a military role for some 28 years before the accident.
We obtained medical evidence from a Consultant Psychiatrist with a specialty in treating veterans and police officers. He concluded that the Plaintiff suffered PTSD which was triggered by the road traffic accident. In particular, he asserted that the Plaintiff suffered delayed expression PTSD which is prevalent in ex-military personnel. Symptoms included but were not limited to nightmares and flashbacks to distressing scenes in his service history as well as social withdrawal and travel anxiety. The consultant psychiatrist concluded that, due to the severity of the Plaintiff’s symptoms, he would not be able to work in paid employment in the future.
The psychiatrist retained by the Defendant insurers concluded that the Plaintiff suffered from an adjustment disorder only – a much less serious, albeit not insignificant, psychological consequence of the accident.
Ultimately, the trial Judge was satisfied with the evidence presented by the consultant psychiatrist retained by our office and held that the evidence the Plaintiff met the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD. The total award for general damages to include both the PTSD and other physical injuries was £72,500 and the loss of earnings award was £67,500. The Plaintiff was also awarded circa £17,000 in interest from the date of issuing proceedings to the date of judgement.
At Worthingtons Solicitors we have a team of Solicitors with extensive experience in handling road traffic accident and personal injury cases. We will gladly provide advice on all aspects of personal injury / road traffic accident claims in Northern Ireland. Please call 02890434015 or email [email protected]
028 9043 4015 